Frank Pallone is missing and even the local police won't start an investigation of a responsible adult until a reasonable amount of time has elapsed. But this doesn't stop August Gustafson from looking for him. Frank's friend and part-time employee in Frank's private investigation business, Augie enlists the aid of his enigmatic uncle Roscoe Kronek, a womanizing hypochondriac, and Emma Lou Rawlins, the hilarious office manager of Augie's latest endeavor, Desperate Domestics Maid Service. Augie decides to break into Frank's office to search for clues. Roscoe easily gains entrance to the office and a wall safe using expertise he learned from a syint in the military and a government job he refuses to talk about. The information they find leads to three suspects, which they begin to investigate. The situation turns black when all suspects are eliminated and Frank's body is discovered in an abandoned coal mine. Hiring a new maid leads to the identity of the murderer, whom they confront at the local watering hole.